Once the winter holiday events begin, minutes, hours, and even days of normal life can evaporate from the December calendar. It takes focused attention to pace oneself and avoid getting lost in the hoopla. Lucky for this Creative, the last month of 2013 was rather low key, and with that, I was afforded a few joyful surprises. For starters, from writing to arting to projects around the home or yard and meeting with friends to chat about their creative endeavors, the past six weeks or so have been an artistic time. And what a breath of fresh air it's been to spend time recharging the batteries! Leading the charge, however accidental, was the #nerdlution revolution that I joined. Found on Twitter, I arrived at the resolution party a few days late, but tardiness didn't deter me from going for it. I made my list of things I wanted to implement into my life until January 20 and I began.
Here's my list as of a few days ago:
As you can see, it hasn't been possible for me to add in or complete each component every day. But because I wanted to make an effort, no matter how small, I ended up getting pretty inventive. Especially with numbers 1 and 4. Standing and watching the birds in the birdbath for a few minutes on a busy day counted for #1, and though the end of the year is always a charitable time for our family, I found giving random words of kudos or compliments or giving moments of my time (sometimes to myself) just as fulfilling as gifting tangible donations. On other fronts, like with 3, 5, and 7, I've had lulls where I would run out of ideas or lack energy to make them happen before the clock chimed midnight. But I still went to bed happy I'd had an awareness that they existed as intentions at all.
In the end, the whole #nerdlution ordeal has become rather personal, which is the reason I haven't been writing blog posts about it, as I committed to early on. I just needed it to be mine for awhile. And once this shift happened, my list became a much more serious change agent. Item 2 (read for an hour) took precedent. Books and reading morphed into the reliable stand-by research tool. Along with being influenced by friends' fiction recommendations, the 2013 Nerdy Book Awards, and my own To Read list, I dove into art and writing and business books, and even checked out a towering pile of picture books to inspire the creative spirit.
So, here we are. With ten days left of the challenge, I'm eye-ball deep in new priorities and attitudes and energy. Not only is the nerdlution list embedded in my daily doings and nightly gratitudes, but I found what matters to me, in this moment, and am using what matters as my guide. You know, one of my favorite quotes is Praise the bridge that carried you over (George Colman) and before I sign off, I want to thank the idea-makers behind #nerdlution and also the supporters. Thank you for the insightful and fun ride. I wish all those who joined in, read along, or did private resolution ceremonies continued successes.
Here's to a brilliant 2014 for one and all!
